


i just wanna be your teddy bear (toss)

by binchmarner, PeaceSign_MiddleFinger



Series: i can find my spirit in waking up with you [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, cale's a college psychology student, conor is a hockey player, look we have no self control, teddy bears as a form of flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21930139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/binchmarner/pseuds/binchmarner, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceSign_MiddleFinger/pseuds/PeaceSign_MiddleFinger
Summary: Cale surprises Conor for the Colorado Eagle's teddy bear toss game.
Relationships: Cale Makar/Conor Timmins
Series: i can find my spirit in waking up with you [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579339
Kudos: 34





	i just wanna be your teddy bear (toss)

**Author's Note:**

> merry christmas!
> 
> title of the story comes from elvis presley's [(let me be your) teddy bear.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkDbk-egHH4)

Conor’s getting ready for bed when he hears a knock on the door. He truly is unsure of who it is, but Cale did mention something about an early present for Christmas, so he figures it’s probably an Amazon package.

When he opens the door though, it’s…

“Cale,” he says breathlessly. “I––”

“Merry Christmas?” Cale says, smiling. He’s standing there with a suitcase for the weekend next to him and he looks freezing and…

Conor’s so happy to see him.

Conor crushes Cale in a tight hug. “What are you doing here?” he asks. “You’re supposed to be studying for finals!”

“I had to come see my best boy,” Cale says, voice slightly smothered in Conor’s shoulder. Conor loosens his hold enough to duck down and kiss him. It’s sweet and soft, just a gentle press of lips, and Cale is beaming when they break apart. 

“You didn’t really think I was going to miss the teddy bear toss, of all games? A chance to see you in a giant pile of stuffed animals? I wouldn’t miss that for the world.” 

Conor steps back to let Cale into the apartment. “I was just about to take my pre-game nap. Want to join me?” 

Cale grabs his hand and gives it a squeeze. “I’d love to.” 

Conor always sleeps better when Cale is there. He crawls into bed and Cale shucks his jeans and follows, curling up against Conor’s chest.

“I can’t wait to see you play, baby. You’re going to be so good,” Cale says, snuggling closer. Conor presses a kiss to the top of his head and holds him tight. 

“I love you,” Conor says softly, smiling when Cale hums. He presses a kiss to Conor’s collarbone.

“I love you more,” Cale says, drifting to sleep.

\---

“Conor!” Cale whines when Conor steps out of the bathroom. “You can’t just wear that jacket around me.”

Conor furrows his eyebrows and looks down. “This one?” It’s nothing special, it’s just the tan trenchcoat with a dress shirt and dress pants.

“Yeah, it’s…” Cale’s eyes darken. “We should go before you’re late.”

“What do you––”

“You wouldn’t be able to play if we stayed,” Cale smirks. Conor’s cheeks flush pink at the apples of his cheekbones, his eyes widening. He chuckles, ducking his head.

“I bet you we could work something out later,” he says, stepping close to Cale. Cale laughs.

“Score me a goal, and I bet you we could,” Cale says, tying Conor’s tie and tightening it. He pats Conor’s chest and steps back. Conor sort of wants to follow his touch, flushing when Cale smiles. “But really. You need to go. Your team needs you and my willpower can only last so long.”

“Fiiiiiiiiine,” Conor replies, “But after the game, I don’t expect any restraint.” With that, he blows Cale a kiss and heads out the door. 

\---

Pre-game things are the same as always. Everyone in the stands might have a teddy bear or twelve, but that doesn’t change the way the game works. Kaut is finally back from his concussion and everyone who was on the team last year is teasing him about the stuffed pigs he found in the pile of bears last year. He just laughs along with the team as they get ready to take the ice for warmups. It might not be exactly where he wants to be, but Conor really does like these guys. 

The crowd is loud as they skate out for warmups. It’s early, but the teddy bear toss seems to have inspired people to come early. As he skates easy laps around their half of the ice, getting his legs going, Conor scans the crowd for Cale. He has no idea where he might be, or even if he’s here yet. 

He ends up seeing Cale by the Eagles bench, up against the glass, in…

In one of Conor’s jerseys.

Conor stops so fast he snows Tynan. “What the fuck du––oh. Your boyfriend’s here,” he smirks, nodding over to Cale, who smiles. “Looks like he came prepared too.”

When Conor looks over, Cale pulls up a sign. 

I <3 Timbits #20

Conor flushes. “Cale, oh my god.”

“Timbits? That’s such a golden nickname,” TJ laughs. 

“It’s really, _really_ not, and I resent the fact that any of you can read.” Conor kind of wants the ice to open up and swallow him whole, but he’s also overwhelmed with how much he loves his boyfriend, embarrassing though he may be. 

Conor runs through their normal warmup drills, but once they’re done, he takes a puck and messes around with it as he moves back towards where Cale is. He flips it up with his stick to catch it, then taps on the glass before tossing it over. 

Cale’s grin is bright enough to light up the rink when he catches it, and Conor can’t help but grin back. He stays there, looking at Cale long enough that OC comes up and gently checks him into the boards. 

“You gonna warm up or just drool over your boy, huh?” He smiles though, and Conor gets the distinct impression that if he weren’t wearing a helmet, OC would be ruffling his hair. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay. I’m focused, don’t worry.”

“Uh huh. Sure, Timbits,” OC winks, skating off. 

“I hate you!”

“No you don’t!” OC calls back. Conor rolls his eyes and turns to face Cale, who’s laughing. Conor checks the glass right up against him and Cale jumps, grinning brightly. Knots skates over and they pass the puck for a little bit before they get called back to the locker room.

The beginning faceoff is as good as it could be. OC wins, and passes it to Knots, who tears off down the ice. They skate down the ice, Conor right on Morand’s heels. Knots passes it to Conor, who sees a direct shot to the goal and shoots.

The goal horn sounds and Knots crashes into him. 

“Unbelievable! Conor Timmins scores 49 seconds in!”

Teddy bears start flying as OC joins in on the hug, whooping in Conor’s face. 

Conor wasn’t sure what to expect from this game, but it definitely wasn’t the constant rain of stuffed animals that’s happening. It seems like it’s never going to end, bears pouring over the glass in a never-ending wave. He looks over and there’s one stuck in the netting behind the goal. He spares a thought for whatever poor person is going to be stuck trying to get that out before he’s distracted by the sight of an enormous bear being shoved over the glass. Shvyrev is over there, trying to use his stick to pull it down. The bear is nearly as tall as he is and Conor can’t help but laugh. 

The bears keep coming for four solid minutes. Conor is honestly surprised they managed to fit this many bears into the stands. The Bud doesn’t seem big enough to hold all of them, but bears keep coming. Finally, it stops, and they pull a few pickups onto the ice and the team piles them full of stuffed animals. 

It seems almost ridiculous to keep playing after the distraction of the bears on the ice, but it really has been less than a minute of actual play. Conor’s line is back on the bench, coach having opted for the line change even if everyone was good and rested after clearing the ice of bears. 

He looks over and sees Cale up against the glass, taking photos with his phone. Conor sort of thinks Cale could be a photographer, a media person for the Eagles, maybe even the Avalanche one day. He’s seen Cale’s photos, they’re good. 

When he looks back over, Cale’s phone is pointed at him. Conor smiles and winks at the camera, then focuses on the game. 

The rest of the first period goes smoothly, amazing even. Tynan gets the team another goal, and Conor cheers from the bench before the horn buzzes.

The media person calls Conor over to interview for the first intermission for their website. 

“How did it feel getting the first goal in such an important game?” Jacqueline asks. Conor chuckles.

“It was honestly really cool. Knowing the teddy bears go to a good cause is really important to this game,” Conor says. “Especially around the holidays.”

“What about that TJ Tynan goal there late in the period? He’s back from his stint up with the Avs, tell me about his play and how he’s been contributing to the team.”

“TJ’s been great, honestly. We were all happy for him to have a chance to play up with the Avalanche, you know. That’s the dream. But it’s great to have him back, he’s been really solid for us. He knows how to move the puck well, and it’s been working for him. That was a great goal there. Hopefully he can keep it up the rest of the game.” 

Conor wraps up his interview and heads back to the locker room with enough time to drink some gatorade and catch his breath before the second period starts. Coach gives them the usual pep talk about continuing to play their game and not get comfortable with their lead, which Alt echoes when it’s his turn, and then they’re back out on the ice. 

“Come on, Timbits,” Dries says, and Conor laughs. “Let’s go impress your college boy.” 

“Shut up,” Conor says, though he can’t help but smile. 

The second period starts out a little shaky. Both Comtois and Morand score goals within five minutes of each other, so the game is tied. Conor sighs, heading back to the bench after his shift.

Knots knocks his shoulder against his when he sits down. “Hey, don’t worry,” he says. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“I know,” Conor says, smiling at him. “Thank you.”

It takes a few more shifts, but the Eagles regain the lead off of a sweet goal by Kaut. The joy on his face when he comes by the bench for fist bumps is nearly blinding, and it seems to buoy the boys. They spend most of the rest of the period in the Gulls’ zone, and with about a minute left in the period, Bowers tips one in to put them back up by two.

The locker room is noisy during intermission, all the boys still buzzing from the strong period. Coach reminds them again that a two goal lead doesn’t mean they can get complacent, but Conor feels good about the game. Giving up those two goals was a fluke. They’ve been running all over the Gulls, and he’s simply not willing to even consider a loss tonight, not with Cale in the stands. 

The boys come out hot in the start of the third, and Conor picks up an assist on Megna’s goal. If Conor makes sure his celly includes bumping into the boards right in front of Cale, nobody needs to know. 

The game finishes 5-2, and Conor gets first star. He throws a t-shirt to a little kid in the stands, smiles, and skates off. 

He’s met with cheers and whoops of his new nickname–– thank you, Cale–– and claps on the back and on his helmet. He undresses to his underarmor as fast as he can so he can do his interview. He showers and dresses as quick as possible, coming out of the locker room to see Cale sitting against the wall on his phone.

“Want an autograph?” Conor teases. Cale looks up and smiles, standing.

“Oh, please, Mr. Timbits. You’re my absolute _favorite_ hockey player ever,” Cale says, standing close to Conor. 

“Mr. Timbits–– you’re such a little shit,” Conor says, pulling Cale close to him to kiss him gently.

Cale melts into the kiss and smiles sweetly up at Conor when they break apart. “You love me.”

“Yeah,” says Conor, shaking his head. “Yeah, I really do. Thanks for coming, baby.”

“I already told you there was no way I was going to miss seeing you surrounded by piles of teddy bears. Speaking of, I’ve got a present for you in the car.”

“Please tell me you didn’t steal a car-load of bears,” Conor says. He’s joking, mostly. Cale wouldn’t do that. Probably. 

“Of course not,” Cale responds, sounding scandalized. “Those are for charity! I wouldn’t do that, no matter how cute it would be.”

Conor raises an eyebrow. “O...kay,” he says. Cale laughs.

“I promise, come on!” He takes Conor’s hand and leads him to the trunk of his car, and pulls out a teddy bear. “Here, this is for you.” 

Conor furrows his eyebrows. “You bought me the teddy bear you brought?” 

“Of course I did. I wanted to give you something to cuddle with while I’m in my dorms.” Cale’s cheeks flush as he ducks his head. 

It’s a soft teddy bear, with a face Conor could only describe as “kind.” It has a little Colorado Eagles shirt and, well…

Conor’s in love.

“This is so thoughtful, Cale,” Conor says.

“I just–– I know I get lonely when I have to sleep on my own and having something to snuggle helps, so I thought maybe it was the same for you.” Cale’s cheeks are a soft pink and he looks a little bit embarrassed, but also hopeful and Conor feels like his heart might explode. 

“It’s perfect, love. It’ll definitely help the bed not feel so big when you’re gone.” He’s shy about what he wants to say next, but he figures they’re already being vulnerable now anyway, so he might as well go for it. “D’you think maybe you could leave one of your shirts for him to wear so he’ll smell like you too?”

Cale grins, leaning up to steal a kiss from Conor. “You could’ve asked before now, but of course, baby!”

Conor’s face brightens. “Let’s get home, then. I distinctly remember that _someone_ was going to do something about me wearing this coat.” Conor smirks, wrapping an arm around Cale’s waist.

“Sounds like a plan,” Cale says. “Race you there.”

“You’re on.”


End file.
